EV maker’s sales slump there for sixth straight quarter as state loses EV adoption ground.
Says VW unit’s plans to sell directly to consumers violate state law.
Dealer group says EV maker’s sales keep falling, model falls from top spot.
Program now allows dealers to sell in-stock models to subscribers.
In an unexpected decision, California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a dealer protection bill unanimously passed by the California State Legislature. The sticking point was a 'complex formula' for determining dealer reimbursement on warranty and recall work.
While the bill further strengthens dealer protections and updates others, several protections aimed at future services and opportunities for automakers to serve customers directly were stripped out of the bill prior to last Thursday’s unanimous vote by the California Legislature.
Despite the decline, the trade group expects the California market will end the year with around 2 million new-vehicle registrations. That would be a slight decline from the 2.05 million registrations the market recorded in 2017, providing further proof the market has plateaued after several years of big increases.
With the car market having plateaued after several years of increases, the California New Car Dealers Association said it continues to see increasing demand for larger, more family-friendly vehicles. But with gas prices continuing to increase, that trend could shift in the quarters ahead.
New legislation aimed at strengthening dealer protections under California’s franchise laws will have its first committee hearing on Monday. One of its provisions specifically addresses the disclosure policy General Motors issued last summer regarding the sale of non-GM service contracts.
TrueCar has agreed to switch California auto dealers from a pay-per-sale to a flat-fee subscription model and double their indemnity to $50,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by the California New Car Dealers Association.
